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Sections of Park Trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail Closed to Dog Walking

To reduce the potential for coyote/dog conflict, we’ve proactively closed large sections of the Park Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail to dog walking. This annual closure is temporary; we’ll reopen these trails to dog walking in fall after pupping season ends. All 24 miles of hiking trails in the Presidio are open to people.
What’s New at the Presidio - Announcing Fall 2017 Events

What’s New at the Presidio - Announcing Fall 2017 Events

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​​​Presidio of San Francisco (July 27, 2017) – The Presidio Trust is pleased to announce its fall schedule of free public programs, running from September through November 2017. The season also brings perfect weather for self-guided activities in the park such as nature walks, bird watching, relaxing on a
share chair on the Main Parade Ground,
picnicking at one of the park’s six locations, soaking up the sun with the turtles at
Mountain Lake, joining a
volunteer project, and more. The following are fall event highlights, followed by a chronological schedule of all events.

Arts and Culture

This September, the Presidio kicks off its fourth season of free cultural programming at the historic Presidio Officers’ Club, including the two popular series,
Presidio Dialogues and
Presidio Sessions.

Presidio Dialogues—lectures, film screenings, panels, and performances—offers topics including History & Current Affairs, Parks & Nature, and Arts & Culture. Dialogues are held Thursdays at 6 pm. New this fall, we collaborate with the
Russian Center of San Francisco and Dolina Folk to present an exploration of Russian culture in the Old World and the New in a program entitled
Russian Spirit: Dance and Tradition on October 19. The evening includes a folk dance lesson and performance, along with a historical overview of the Russian colonial presence in California.

Presidio Sessions, in partnership with InterMusic SF (formerly SF Friends of Chamber Music) presents jazz, contemporary, world music, and classical music in an intimate setting, along with opportunities to converse with the performers, on Fridays at 7 pm. The popular concerts feature local artists from Latin jazz musicians Miguelito Martinez and John Calloway, to the classical Delphi Trio, musical evocateur Jill Tracy, and more.

The

SF Shakespeare Festival
, celebrating 35 Years, will present free performances of Hamlet, outdoors on the Presidio’s Main Parade Ground on seven afternoons in September beginning at 2 pm. Other programs at the Presidio Officers’ Club include the
Presidio Book Club, Signature Events like our
Halloween Dance, weekend family art programs, guided art hikes to
Andy Goldsworthy’s sculptures, and more. Please see our calendar listings below and check our website for details and to register at
presidio.gov/events.

EXCLUSION Exhibition

The special exhibition

EXCLUSION: The Presidio’s Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration
remains on view through March 2018 at the Presidio Officers’ Club. Learn about the Presidio’s little-understood role in the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, and the choices—both personal and political—that led to this dark chapter in American history. Visitors are invited to share their own voices, and deepen their experience of the subject through a number of additional programs this fall, including a visually rich presentation on artist Isamu Noguchi by Dakin Hart of New York’s Noguchi Museum (November 9); the world premiere by Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra of Brown’s new piece
Go For Broke! A Salute to Nisei Veterans (November 3); and rare tours of the Army office from which the Civilian Exclusion Orders were issued (September 9 and November 11). Please see all listings below for ​more information.

Kids and Family

This fall, the Presidio offers free activities and fun for kids and families, beginning with
Creative Family Fun, drop in craft-making every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm at the Presidio Officers’ Club.
Presidio Picnic, co-sponsored by Presidio Trust and Off the Grid Markets, runs every Sunday on the Main Parade Ground through October 8, featuring lawn games, bike riding, and international food trucks.
Presidio Twilight runs on Thursdays evenings through September 21, complete with fire pits, cabanas, and live music. The Presidio’s 15th annual outdoor movie night
Film in the Fog screens
The Iron Giant, and offers tasty bites from Off the Grid food trucks. In the spirit of Halloween, kids and families are invited to the annual
Presidio Pumpkin Carving Workshop (see listings below). Staff, printed guides, and exhibits at the new
Presidio Visitor Center will help families choose their own self-guided park adventure.

Nature and Science

As San Francisco’s unique national park, the Presidio is perfectly situated to welcome all to the outdoors, with more than 24 miles of hiking and biking trails, forests, and incredible views perfect for recreation and discovery. Visitors can enjoy both hiking and birdwatching by joining the
Presidio Bird Walks on Saturdays, September 9 and November 11. Each fall we celebrate the return of monarch butterflies to the California coast. Expert Presidio ecologists lead the
Second Annual Monarch Butterfly Walk to share knowledge about the butterflies on October 28. Other nature and science programs include the
Presidio Dialogues lectures
Mountain Lake: History and Habitat (September 7) and
Climate-Friendly Parks (October 26). Archaeologists are on hand to engage park-goers at various archaeology events:
International Archaeology Day,
Live Archaeology Digs, and
Archaeology Lab Tours + Open House.
The Archaeology Lab Gallery features a new display of Presidio artifacts, and now has extended drop-in hours, Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Partners from the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers co-present the fascinating
Astrolecture Series and
Presidio Stargazing Parties to view the moon, planets, nebulae and galaxies up close. Visit
http://www.presidio.gov/events to register for these events, and see listings below.

Attention Calendar Editors

Although our events are free, we advise visitors to register via the web links as space is limited. Please check our website for the most up-to-date listings at
www.presidio.gov/events. Tel. 415-561-4323.

ONGOING FALL EVENTS

Presidio Visitor Center
Open 7 days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm
210 Lincoln Blvd., on the Presidio’s Main Post, San Francisco
Tel: 415-561-4323
Link:
http://www.presidio.gov/places/presidio-visitor-center

Event:
EXCLUSION: The Presidio’s Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration
Date: Exhibition runs through March 2018, Tuesday to Sundays, 10 am – 6 pm
Place: Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio of San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
During World War II, the Presidio of San Francisco—the Army’s Western Defense Command—played a pivotal role in the unjust incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, purportedly in the name of national security. This special exhibition invites visitors to investigate the choices—both personal and political—that led to this dark chapter in American history, and to reflect on what we have learned that helps us address present-day issues of mass incarceration, immigration reform, and racial profiling.
Link:
www.presidio.gov/exclusion

Event: Presidio Picnic
Date: Every Sunday through October 8, 2017
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Place: Main Parade Ground, 103 Montgomery Street, on the Presidio’s Main Post
Phone: (415) 561-4323
Price: Free
San Francisco’s largest community picnic blends the best of the international food scene with the best of this national park. Enjoy music, kids’ activities, gourmet food trucks, and more. Drop by the new Presidio Visitor Center to plan your day in the park. Co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust and Off the Grid Markets.
Link:
www.presidio.gov/presidio-picnic

Event: Presidio Twilight
Date: Every Thursday through September 21
Time: 5 pm to 9 pm
Place: Main Parade Ground, 103 Montgomery Street, on the Presidio’s Main Post
Phone: (415) 561-4323
Price: Free
Celebrate summer evenings with lantern-lit dining cabanas, blanket-side cocktail service, fire pits, live music, and views of the sun setting over San Francisco Bay.
Link:
http://www.presidio.gov/blog/presidio-twilight-is-back

Event: Archaeology at the Presidio!
-Live Archaeology Dig, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 am – 2 pm, through October 21
-Archaeology Lab Gallery, Monday – Saturday, 10 am to 4pm – NEW – Extended hours
-Archaeology Lab Tours, every Wednesday at 1 pm
-Open Archaeology Lab, every Wednesday, 2 to 4 pm
Place: Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
Phone: (415) 561-4400
Price: Free
Witness archaeology in action! Presidio archaeologists are working on a long-term research project to excavate
El Presidio de San Francisco, the Spanish-colonial site buried just below the ground in front of the Presidio Officers’ Club. Stop by the dig and the lab to check out their recent discoveries and ask questions. Learn about archaeology at the Presidio by checking our rotating exhibit of artifacts found right here in this national park at the Archaeology Lab Gallery. You may see the latest objects excavated from our current archaeological dig on the Main Post or see highlights from our vast collection. Dishes from the original Spanish fort, letters from home left behind in an attic by a soldier, toys from one of the children who called the Presidio home.
Link:
http://www.presidio.gov/events

Download a PDF of event listings September – November >>

Contact Us

Presidio Trust Media Relations

Lisa Petrie

(415) 264-7787

lpetrie@presidiotrust.gov

Press Release & September – November Event Listings

Download PDF >>​​​​​​​​​​​​